What you will see below are the results of the 2014Razzball Writer’s League Fantasy Football Draft (click here for the results). The league is based on this year’s RCL format. If you don’t know what a RCL is, man, you are behind the times. Join here for a chance at prizes and glorious bragging rights! The RCL stuff is basically as follows: The 0.5 PPR league is comprised of 12 teams each starting a QB, three WRs, two RBs, one TE, a FLEX, K, and a Defense. If you are interested, go ahead and rank the teams in the comments section below. You can also tell us the reason for your order. Or, you can just tell us how you feel about Tehol’s team. Spoiler: I couldn’t find Matt Wieters anywhere on the roster, so I’m not sure Tehol really drafted.

“I went into this draft with the third pick and selected Adrian Peterson. I considered Matt Forte because of his pass catching appeal, but it was too difficult to pass up on fantasy’s sure thing. I then went heavy on receiver and added RGIII into the mix. I have to say that if I were to do it again, I would probably have selected a different QB, as RGIII makes me extremely nervous. So nervous (after watching the game against the Browns) that I decided to drop Donald Brown (my last pick) and pick up Roethlisberger as insurance. I continued to load up on running backs and receivers. Shane Vereen was my diamond of the draft (from a PPR perspective); he is going to be a real active part of the Patriots’ passing game. The jury is still out on Chris Johnson and Steven Jackson, although I think Johnson will end up being a good RB2. The other guys on the bench are merely injury or bye week replacements, I don’t see them cracking the starting lineup ever.”

“I don’t really remember this draft, mostly because of alcohol, though it could have also been that chocolate cake I ate. I’m not stating the amount of pieces because I lost count after eating the entire thing. However, looking at my team now, I can dutifully say that my homerism runs strong, even in an inebriated state. Which is good, because I feel this skill could come in handy some day, if, you know, I need to take on a grizzly bear in hand-to-hand combat. I like Philip Rivers, Ryan Mathews, Antonio Gates, and Nick Novak on this team, and you know why. I guess Eddie Lacy and Antonio Brown coming along for the ride is okay too. Maybe. By the way, whoever took Keenan Allen, you are no longer writing for the site. Sorry I’m not sorry. Hey guys, look at my bench. I love it. That is all. Excuse me while I make more cake.”

“My overall strategy this year has been to Bruce Lee it and ‘be like the nature of water’. Take what the draft gives you and react accordingly. I took Graham in the first when Megatron didn’t fall to me and drafted 3 WR in my next 5 picks. I am a little sad I bit on Rashad Jennings as early as I did but I do like the player; just not the value. Torrey Smith in the 5th was probably my favorite first 10 round pick as my WR3. He has the potential to be a WR1 this year with just a bit more luck and some return to the red zone from his first couple of years. Yahoo hates my team but what’s new? They expect you to draft depth at K/DEF/TE to even grade out as a B so I’m forever in the dog house with them but I like what I’ve built and look forward to seeing some of the youth/upside on my bench become viable options. It’s a sexy team full of upside. You know, like Lara Flynn Boyle was before her face became a botoxic mess.”

[Jay’s Note: I’m surprised he didn’t draft Domonic Brown…]
“Greetings!!! What an honor it it to be included in this league of extraordinary gentlemen. My name? Tehol Beddict AKA TB for your bunghole AKA Voice of the Elder Gods, and I come to you today, humbled and grateful for the opportunity to DESTROY the rest of the razzball writing clan in our world’s greatest game, fantasy football.

Let’s meet the players, shall we?!? Anytime I’m drafting near the bottom of the round (11th in this case), I’m more than likely going to take the two most explosive receivers left on the board and I did just that with A.J. Green and Julio Jones. Should I just discontinue writing this now, as those two should win me the league by themselves. Picking up Spiller at the very end of the 3rd round will prove to be the perfect maneuver as this is a PPR league and, you know, Spiller excels at that. CJ burned me like horrific case of genital warts last season but that was as the 2nd overall pick. He will be far superior this season and a borderline top ten back. Gronk in the 4th???? Yes please, and thank you, I might add. Guaranteed top 3 tight end if he plays 12 games with upside for oh so very much more. Some may reference my Maclin pick in the 5th round as a reach. I’d call it more like a reach-around as I feel like the whole league just gifted me with a hand job. Mac-Daddy will finish as a top 15 wideout so those of you who have yet to draft may want to jump on that. Ray Rice in the 6th round is an absolute steal. He looks far better than last season and is only missing 2 games. This means I’m getting a possible top 10 running back IN THE SIXTH ROUND. That’s Game of Thrones type epicness right there, folks. Ending up with Justin Hunter, Boldin, Tavon Austin, as my backup wideouts pretty much gives me the most potentially dominant receiving core in fantasy history and Kaepernick is the perfect man to get em the rock, as he will finish much higher in the rankings this season with no foot injury to concern himself with. This is Tehol signing out as I need a spray tan before I shoot my radio show this afternoon. I got this league wrapped like a mummy. WITNESS.

“I followed my strategy of drafting WRs early and it paid off. Having Dez Bryant, Keenan Allen, Andre Johnson, Julian Edelman and Mike Wallace should benefit me in a league that utilizes 3 WR spots as well as a FLEX. Late round picks of Devonta Freeman and Jonathan Grimes could pay off if the RBs they are handcuffing (Steven Jackson, Arian Foster) succumb to injury. Also, I HATE that I have Brady despite the fact I think he’s ready for a bounce back season.”

“The plan coming into the draft was simple. Find enough good wide receivers to have the depth I need and get good enough running backs to help close the gaps in a PPR format. It sounded simple enough. Keep in mind I was just finishing a rookie draft in a dynasty league at Hooters, so my mind was a little away from football, if you get my drift. At quarterback, I wound up with Luck and Foles. Both quarterbacks had good seasons last season and should be able to contribute on the ground as well. The extra bit of versatility made them good choices in my book. Foles went in the 9th round (104th pick, ADP of 65) and was good value at that point. For running backs, I took a safe play and a gamble. Gio Bernard is the safe play as he should get the lion’s share of touches in Cincinnati. Arian Foster is a huge risk, I know. When I think about what the Texans have for offensive weapons beside him there isn’t a whole lot. The phrase “starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick” makes me think it’s very easy to turn around and hand it off to Foster a ton or hit him on short passes out of the backfield. If his health holds up, Foster could be a stud again and my running backs are loaded. Bernard Pierce adds good depth but I should get more depth that position. Wide receiver turned out to be a tough position. Demaryius Thomas and Larry Fitzgerald are both solid but Sammy Watkins is only a rookie. Guys like Riley Cooper add viable depth but Steve Smith and Jericho Cotchery were auto picks. Remember I said I was at Hooters? I had to start driving back home and the draft wasn’t quite over yet. Unfortunately, I left Smith and Cotchery in the auto-pick queue—and got them. Yikes. Tight end worked out well for me snaring Vernon Davis and Dennis Pitta. Both should be centerpieces of their team’s passing games this season Since we can flex a tight end, Pitta could get the start there most weeks. Remember that Gary Kubiak is now the offensive coordinator in Baltimore and he LOVES targeting the tight ends. The Ravens want to split Pitta out wide too so he will be all over the field. It’s the same usage pattern as Jimmy Graham but with a much lower ADP. Martellus Bennett came as an auto-pick addition and I’m not sure what to do with him yet. Trade? Phil Dawson has been a solid kicker for many years. The Denver defense has been upgraded and gets Von Miller back so they should be better than last year. The AFC West takes on the NFC West so those have potential to be low scoring games which is favorable. Yahoo gave my team a “B” and it was the second best grade in the draft. They also said I would finish 5-8 so I don’t put much stock in their grading system nor their academic eligibility. I might be able to make some noise if my starters stay healthy. Depth will be a big question mark and I will need to find some to get through bye weeks.”

What a blast this draft was, well besides the fact that I was laughing too much and about 5 minutes in the lovely Mrs. Lifshitz banished me to the garage. So there I was, my first writers league draft sitting in my garage with an iPad, reading the banter going back and forth between budding bromantics Tehol and Nick Cappozzi. Seriously these guys have reached “I Love You Man” Bromance levels. It got to the point that Nick was singing Tehol’s praises in hashtag form. But I digress, or digest, and other things that make people sound smart in conversation like saying Whom or indeed. The long and the short I love this team. Maybe that’s too cocky, but I got my binky Cam Newton, my receivers (Calvin, DeSean, Hilton, Decker, Boykin, Amendola, and Austin) are a very good group with high end talent and each has the opportunity to see a ton of looks. My running backs (Bell, Stacy, West, and Hill) leave something to be desired but I love getting Stacy in the 3rd and I’m pretty high on Bell especially in PPR formats. I also have a talented pair of Tight Ends in Nina Agdal and Anastasia Ashley…oops I mean Jordan Reed and Tyler Eifert. My strategy this year has been to assemble a talented group of receivers and target underrated players at the other three positions. I’m happy with the haul and feel I stayed true to my approach. All in all I’m looking forward to beating the pants off of these guys and getting my handsome grill on a bobblehead.

For the second straight year I had to autodraft for the Writer’s League do to scheduling conflicts. I’m calling for an IDP-persecution investigation! This year was especially rough, as apparently my autodraft strategy didn’t include any Wide Receivers. Looking back at the Draft Results, I probably would have gone WR over Skittles in Round 1, and definitely wouldn’t have taken Peyton, so my team would look entirely different. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. I now have the RB1 on a run-first team that is a lock to win 10+ games, and the QB for the most potent passing attack outside of the 2008 Madden league in my fraternity. I will make no excuses, but I will make a trade for a receiver.

Too much parity to declare a clear winner – but Nick, Sky, Smokey & Ralph seem to be in the top tier. Jay is right with them, but he’s obviously all in on the Bolts. Doc is there too, and would be in the lead if he had a QB in the tier above RGIII (the full draft recap isn’t provided, but maybe he could’ve secured Romo/Cutler/Rivers over CJ2K). Seth doesn’t have a starting TE on his roster, Tehol is high risk/reward. I’m sure Kevin had a valid commitment that prevented him from drafting, but auto’s dilute the validity of an industry draft. Jennifer too, was that auto? (2 kickers)

I’m a big fan of the WR core. Being a 0.5PPR versus full point makes DeSean look pretty good if the Redskins offense gets going. Yeah, the RB is thin for you, but if the WRs do what is expected, then having one of your two starters step up week to week could be enough. From the untrained eye, anyway.

Man guys if I can end up with a team in the Razzball league anywhere near that I will definitely find myself mildly content. Still wrapping my head around how deep the borderline-WR1 pool is this year.

And what the hell, I’ll post my team from a buddies league. ESPN Standard 10 team, 1 PPR, 4pt QB TD. Put this team together from the caboose 10th pick.

Had Graham land to me, and due to a heavy-RB1 drafting league, landed a ton of RB2 once they bailed for the WR1.5 I left them to pick from. It’s hard for me to gauge this team, but RB seems to the critical point; I could either dominate, or find myself utterly destroyed. Then again, I have the potential out of the RB2 pool for a big step up somewhere.

Not like hard work and dedication did anything important, ever. Pyramids? Slaves. Prosecution rests its case. Though your team does look like it is set up rather nicely. Best of luck with the Kaeptain, he drove me mad last year until I found Rivers on the wire in my buddy league.

I’d like to take out of this rant/babble to give a shout out to the Razzball War Room excel sheet. I had to modify it a bit so it could use the ranks for PPR (simple copy and paste for the most part), but boy did it help. Gave me the team I posted about earlier. Thanks, Mean Joe!

General PPR Strategy Question – I have Eddie Lacy and Drew Brees as my 2 Keepers (QB Overvalued with weird bonus points). I have the first pick (#25) and wondering how I need to set myself up for the draft.

A: Do I take L. Bell or D. Martin to start and try to target WR next (most likely C. Patterson Tier)

B: Do I take AJ Green or J. Nelson first and target RB next (Alfred Morris / R. Jennings Tier)

@Schwab Stumped: no problemo, Schwabby. Jennings can also catch the rock so he’s def an option there. Vareen could catch 80 balls so that’s always intriguing but I’d PROBABLY go Jennings over all those guys tho you couldn’t really go wrong with any of them.

I’m in a 14 team PPR league which also counts kick/punt return yardage. Starting positions include 1 QB, 2 RB, 4 WR, 1 TE, and 2 flex (WR/RB/TE). I am drafting in the 7 spot of a snake draft and would love some advice on how to approach the first five rounds or so. Thanks for the help.

Is it a full point PPR? The seventh spot could land you Eddie Lacy (I would definitely take him here). If no Lacy, take Megatron.

I would probably rotate between WRs and RBs for the first five or six rounds. Those reputable guys are going to move fast – get your TE and QB in the later rounds (be ok with Romo, Cutler, or even Roethlisberger at this point). You are going to need to stack RBs and WRs early.

In a keeper league where you get to keep one player next year without sacrificing a draft pick, would you rather have Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, or A.J. Green?

I’m leaning towards Johnson. He’s older than the rest but still should have some gas in the tank. Then again, A.J. Green is pretty tempting since he is younger, less injury prone, and has a QB locked in for the foreseeable future.

@Gay 4 Grey: Na it’s competitive, just a ten teamer where a lot of teams prematurely shot their wads on big name players. For example, I think shady and Jamal went in the 70s, and since we’re from the midwest, Bears players went way high too. I just held my money for once and was able to outbid for most of the lesser-named players out there.

@Tehol Beddict: Thanks man I appreciate it, should I try to trade for Ellington? And given my depth and roster what would be appropriate for Ellington? The guy who has Ellington needs WR help as he’s got Colston and Harvin as his starters with not much afterwards. Thanks again and keep up the good work.

Should I start R Jennings or Vereen in week 1 for my standard yahoo league? I am also leaving my starting WR as Marshall/Cobb/Cruz but have Wright on the bench if you think I should replace him with one of the other 3 for week one.

@DiRo: Jennings – I would consider Wright for Cobb. I have Jordy in one league and I am really close to benching him. I don’t like Thursday games and hate the matchup. I have Sanders, Lloyd, and Bernard Pierce as my other options. Most likely going with Sanders, especially if Welker can’t play.